Bonnie's PoV

"Bubble tea! Get your bubble tea here!"

A lobster held a cup of the drink in his hand, waving it around. The pearls inside swirled around with the movement, grabbing Bonnie's attention. The way it sloshed around was so memorizing... Now her stomach growled, hungry for the taste of bubble tea.

"Bonnie...?" Eight puzzled, tugging on her sleeve. The two girls had decided to walk around Inkopolis before fighting each other in the Splatfest following their last practice session. "Hello?"

"Hey, Eight..." She looked over her shoulder, glancing over at the octoling. "You want bubble tea?"

Only a perplexed expression came across her face. "Bubble tea? Tea, but fizzy?"

"No, it's not fizzy at all. It's also called boba. Have you heard of that?"

"No."

"Seriously?" Bonnie blinked, surprised. "What food did they even have down there?"

"Primarily healthy foods. Many wasabi dishes. When I off-duty, sometimes my comrades and I go to teahouse. They have tea, and other foods good with tea. My favorite were the wafers. We get sweets on holidays." Eight glanced over at the bubble tea stand. "Certainly, none were big like 'bubble tea.'"

"Geez... Life much suck down there."

"It worse than Inkopolis, yes, but it not that bad. But so many were in Octarian army that we never see it fully." The octoling girl lifted her head, looking up at the purple sky. Soon, nightfall would sweep over the land, and the stars would start to shine down on Inkopolis. "If I was not in the army, would I have defected?"

"Sure you would," Bonnie assured her. Pausing, she thought back to the fight with Eight's inner hero, the octoling's memories flashing in everyone's heads as if they were their own. It still unsettled her—they felt so real. Especially during the memories when Eight wore hypnoshades. She felt that if she remained in them any longer, she, too, would fight for DJ Octavio, against inkling society. A thought that pierced fear into her heart. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "You were all controlled by DJ Octavio, weren't you?"

Eight shook her head. "It more complicated," she denied. "He not completely control us until after Calamari Inkantation. Before then, it mainly propaganda and music to control us. Until Calamari Inkantation, what we learned is what we thought was correct. In the end, though, it was still control. DJ Octavio limited us to only fighting for his sake. That is the Octarian oppression. But now we in Inkopolis...we free to make our own choices. But despite the Calamari Inkantation, some octolings still choose to fight for the Octarian army, like Angel. Not everyone can see its message, I guess."

"I... Wow."

"Are you understanding now?"

"I think so." Bonnie gave a half-hearted chuckle. How could a simple conversation about bubble tea turn into something so deep and depressing? Nonetheless, it was clear neither of them wanted to continue talking about this subject. "So..." She turned around to face the octoling. "Do you still want bubble tea? I can pay."

"I can pay," Eight offered. "I have money."

"How about we split it, then? You pay for your drink, and I pay for my drink."

"OK."

"Booyah," the inkling girl whispered. Dragging her companion along, they walked over to the bubble tea stand and got in line. It was a short line, with only a jellyfish in front of them. After the lobster handed a cup of green bubble tea to the jellyfish, they walked away, and the two girls stepped up. He looked down at them, blinking.

"More customers!" he exclaimed. Bringing his claws together, he asked, "What kind would you like?"

"Milk tea," Bonnie replied. "Just your standard brew."

"I...will have the same one," Eight added.

"Two milk teas..." The lobster typed the information into his cash register, and a price popped up on the interface facing the girls. "1,050G," he requested.

"525G, pay I must?" the octoling whispered to her companion.

"Yep," she confirmed. Together, they paid for the drinks, and the vendor reached under his deck, pulling out two cups of bubble tea. The drinks were colored brown, the dark pearls inside contrasting the light background. He set them on the counter and poked huge straws through the tops of both of them. He pushed them over to the girls, and they picked them up.

"Enjoy!" the lobster declared. "You won't regret this purchase!"

"Thank you," said Bonnie. She took a sip out of her drink and glanced over at Eight. "C'mon, let's go."

"Alright," she agreed. The pink-haired girl bowed to the vendor before the two walked away, traversing the streets of Inkopolis once more. They started to travel towards the Square, sure that the Splatfest had begun in full swing by now. The taste of the bubble tea was rather refreshing, the cool liquid contrasting with the tea Bonnie usually drank. She could even taste a hint of sweetness. Eight, on the other hand, spared little time to talk, slurping away at the bubble tea. When she did pause, it was to chew away on the pearls. To her, it was clear that the octoling loved this drink.

"Where else do they sell bubble tea?" Eight asked her once her cup was nearly empty. "I want to try more."

Bonnie shrugged. "A lot of places sell them. There's even entire restaurants dedicated to it."

"Which ones?"

"I don't know... But you can search it up, right?"

"I guess."

"Sorry I couldn't help you much."

"It is fine. No one is perfect."

"You're right about that," the inkling girl agreed. If only my mom and dad could see that.

Soon enough, they could hear Color Pulse in the distance. Eyes wide in excitement, Eight egged Bonnie along, running towards Inkopolis Square. The latter was quick to follow her, running after her, bubble tea clasped tightly in her hand. Once they arrived, she would find the Rainbow Squids and head to the Deca Tower to begin battling.

As always, a group of inklings crowded around the entrance of Deca Tower, looking up at the stage Off the Hook performed on, cheering and waving flags and glowsticks around. Eight walked up to a jellyfish giving out glowsticks and picked up a red one, raising it into the air and waving it around. Pearl and Marina both seemed to notice her, so in response, they deviated from their routine slightly, striking more expressive poses.

As they finished, Pearl crossed her arms. "How'd ya like that?" she asked the crowd. They started cheering even louder in response, red and blue confetti starting to fly around the place. Pale gold eyes drifted over to Eight, and the idol gave a nod, smiling. Marina poked out from behind her and waved, seemingly directed to the curly-haired octoling. Eight waved back before lowering her glowstick and joining Bonnie once more.

"They noticed you?" the inkling girl marveled.

"Of course," she replied. "They help me escape the Deepsea Metro. You do not remember?"

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Oh yeah... They were with you when you first arrived in Inkopolis." How could she forget that?

"Let us find the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma," Eight then announced. "They must be wait."

"Yeah, yeah."

The two girls walked closer to the Crust Bucket, searching for their respective teams. Quickly, Bonnie found the Rainbow Squids, sitting at their usual table. Oddly enough, Octa Prisma had moved to the table just next to theirs, inklings and octolings mingling with one another. Eight began to call Geneva's name, and the long-haired girl lifted her head, her exposed eye shining in the fluorescent lights. She hugged Eight upon her arrival, while Bonnie proceeded to join the Rainbow Squids, standing next to Octavia.

"I wish Alexis was here," commented Brayden, leaning back in his chair. Admittedly, Bonnie wasn't surprised to see him wearing a blue shirt that marked him as part of Team Villain. "Yet she insists on doing her own thing."

"I hope she's having fun right now," Perry remarked. Like herself and Brayden, he also wore a shirt marking him as part of Team Villain. "Maybe she's with some of her friends. Like that Skylar girl, for example."

"Skylar is nice," Peyton commented. Like Eight, she wore a red t-shirt, proclaiming her as a member of Team Hero. "Happy she enjoys Inkopolis."

"I wonder what team she's on," Bonnie mused.

"Well, Alexis is on Team Hero," Via noted, "so maybe they're on the same team."

"If she's playing with her, that is," Inigo added.

"I am not sure she is," Brayden admitted, shaking his head. "You all are very aware of her dislike towards octolings."

"Huh?" Roy blinked, surprised. He, too, was on Team Hero. "Skylar's an octoling?"

"You did not notice?!" Giovanni barked. "It is obvious!"

Iris snickered. "You overestimate inklings. They are...not as smart as us."

"C'mon, don't say that right in front of us," the tan-skinned boy groaned, placing a few fingers on his forehead. He took a deep breath and added, "You're kind of testing my patience, too."

"Yes, do not make Roy the mad!" Yvonne agreed, stepping in front of Iris.

"Fine," she conceded. "I am guessing you are wanting to the battle?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "We can't sit around here forever."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Yuri chimed in. "Let's go!"

Their new goal clear, the Rainbow Squids and Octa Prisma sorted out who would be on what team. Bonnie's team ended up consisting of herself, Perry, Octavia, and Yvonne—all the Rainbow Squids who were on Team Villain, plus one extra octoling from Octa Prisma. Giovanni and Brayden agreed to play as a duo, while everyone else grouped up with their respective teammates.

"I'm kind of surprised you chose Team Hero," Bonnie whispered to Inigo. "I thought you liked the villains better."

At her words, his face fell. "True," he admitted, "but after everything, I don't want the word 'villain' attached to me."

"I'm sorry!" she quickly apologized, clasping her hands together. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

Inigo chuckled. "At least you can see some sense." His eyes drooping, Bonnie could only imagine what he would've said next: unlike Geneva.

Something started to tug Bonnie's hand. "Let us go!" Yvonne exclaimed. "The battlefield awaits us!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she told her. She glanced over at her friend. "Bye, Inigo."

At her farewell, he simply gave a nod and waved goodbye back, and now, the groups were separated, Bonnie's team walking over to the Deca Tower. In the back of her mind, a new worry arose—since Geneva and Inigo were on the same team right now, would they get into another argument? Would that only deepen the split between them?

She shook her head, lifting up to look at the display of current stages inside the lobby. She couldn't think about that now. She had to focus on the Splatfest!

Entering one of the elevators, they were immediately met with a team of inklings on Team Hero, one of which Bonnie immediately recognized.

"Fable!" Octavia exclaimed. "Long time no see!"

"Same goes to you," she agreed. She wore a Team Hero t-shirt, 18K Aviators covering her eyes. "It's been a pain trying to catch up on everything."

"The fact that neither of us are in any of your classes doesn't help," Bonnie added.

She looked over at Perry, who paid no attention to Fable. Instead, he stared straight ahead, his eyes narrowed. Following his gaze, she found that across from him was a pale-skinned cuttlefish she didn't recognize. On her head was a bucket hat, and on her feet, she wore tan work boots. Next to her was a Krak-On Splat Roller, and on the other side of her was an olive-skinned inkling with hair styled in a side cut, his arms crossed as he hugged a Kensa Charger. He opted to wear a sun visor and hunting boots for gear.

The cuttlefish's gaze rested on Bonnie, and as soon as their eyes met, she jumped. "So these are your new friends," she commented.

"Huh?" Via looked over at them. "Oh! It's you two!"

Perry blinked, surprised. "You know them?"

"Yeah, I battled them once," she replied.

The cuttlefish stared at them. "...Who are you again?" The inkling boy whispered into her ear, and eyes widening, she nodded. "Ohh, I remember you now." Immediately, her golden gaze narrowed. "Well, I'm gonna win against you this time, got it?"

"You sure about that?" Via teased. "I'm pretty good..."

"We'll see about that," her friend said.

Bonnie scanned the rest of the lobby, looking for the last member of the opposing team. Soon enough, her eyes fell on a strange inkling in the corner of the room. His hair was styled into a mohawk, much like Giovanni's hair, and he wore starter gear, a white headband and cream basics, alongside the Splatfest tee. He had brown skin, and his eyes were yellow-green in color. He held a Splattershot Jr. at his side, and he simply stared at the group. However, his attention quickly turned to Yvonne, who started to approach him. She leaned over to listen in on the conversation, however the words that came out of Yvonne's mouth were spoken in Octarian. The stranger spoke back to her in the same language, and in the back of her mind, Bonnie began to wonder if he was actually an octoling. With the revelation that Skylar was an octoling, too, it wouldn't be too far-fetched. She figured it would be rude to ask, though.

The elevator stopped, and the floor beneath their feet slid open, revealing a grate for everyone to slip through. Bonnie turned into a squid, letting the currents take her to her next destination. When she emerged onto a spawn point, and for some reason, she found it refreshing to be met with the night sky instead of a space-like background. Dozens of red-and-white lanterns were hung across the stage, shining like brilliant stars. From the architecture, there was only one place they could be—Skipper Pavilion.

The match began, and Bonnie fired her Classic Squiffer, shooting out a trail of deep blue ink. She swam through it, but Octavia continued on ahead, speeding along with her Octobrush Nouveau. Soon enough, they reached the garden, where Fable had already arrived, running around and inking as much turf as she could with her Mini Splatling. Bonnie hid behind a wall, waiting for her to get into her range. But, in the middle of the area, she stopped, her eyes following Octavia as she circled around her, the bronze-skinned girl waiting for a chance to strike. Fable spun around and around, and eventually, she stumbled, gripping her head. Now that she was vulnerable, Via swooped in and struck her with her brush, and a few swings later, she had been splatted.

The next person to arrive was the newbie, aiming his weapon at the ground. He lifted his head, letting out a gasp as Octavia charged towards him. Throwing out a splat bomb, he dove into the ink and retreated, swimming up to a ledge and looking down on Via from above. Seeing as the coast was clear, Bonnie decided to help her friend out, swimming closer to the action. She snapped her charger up at him and fired, splatting him in one hit. His gear fell to the ground as an octopus-shaped ghost floated away, blue ink dripping off of the ledge.

"Thanks," Via said.

"No problem," she replied. She turned towards the theater, standing on the top of the hill. "You go up there," she directed, pointing towards it. "I'll stay down here."

"You think anyone's even over there?"

"Probably. But if there isn't...you could claim that turf all for yourself."

"Yeah, sounds like a good plan." Via put the bristles of her brush to the ground and waved goodbye. "Well, see ya!" She ran up ahead, soon disappearing from sight.

Letting herself relax, Bonnie swam back towards the garden, running up the deck. She inked it before submerging into it, watching the garden for anyone from the imposing team. Soon enough, she spotted the cuttlefish running down the hill, arriving straight from the theater. Once she reached the bottom of the hill, she lifted her roller and started swinging it, splashing red ink everywhere. Bonnie emerged and pressed down the trigger of her Classic Squiffer, steadying herself. If she faltered, then that would alert the cuttlefish of her presence, and before she knew it, she would be splatted. The laser trailed behind her, and once the Squiffer held a full charge, Bonnie let go of the trigger, and the shot of ink tore through her, splatting her. At the sight, she pumped a fist in silent triumph. She quickly hid herself in the ink once again, awaiting her next opponent.

Fable arrived once more, but unlike the last time, she seemed more cautious, creeping towards the center of the garden. She lifted her foot off of the ground, enemy ink dripping off of the bottom of her shoe. With a frown, she set it back down and threw a burst bomb at her feet, splattering red ink around her. Bonnie crept closer to her, trying to get her in her range.

Suddenly, a glob of ink barreled towards her, and she rolled backwards, gripping her Mini Splatling tightly. Quickly, it came clear who the source of the glob was—Perry. Donning a toothy smirk, he swung his Sloshing Machine at her. Though none of the shots were a direct hit, ink continued to splash onto her. In between shots, Fable ran closer to him, and soon enough, the distance between them was small, allowing her to charge up her Mini Splatling and unleash a flurry of ink. Less than a second later, Perry had splatted, red ink covering the area where he once stood. Fable's hair began to glow, and immediately, she pulled out a Tenta Missiles launcher. Her eyebrows raised in surprise as she turned towards the deck Bonnie hid on. But without a second thought, she fired, a red circle appearing around Bonnie. In a panic, she emerged from the ink and ran away, climbing up the hill. The missiles crashed on the ground behind her, and she let out a sigh of relief. She turned around to see Fable approaching her, the barrels of her splatling spinning as she charged it up. Bonnie charged up her Classic Squiffer as well, and they both released their charges, splatting at the same time.

Once Bonnie respawned, she swam towards the garden again, but instead of stepping inside it, she observed it from a ledge above, a wall shielding her from enemy fire. The octoling on the other team had arrived again, facing no opposition as he inked the area. To be honest, she felt kind of bad for splatting him so harshly earlier—he was still a newbie, no matter how skilled he might've been before defecting. For all she knew, he could notice her and take out any anger he had out on him. The thought made her shudder, her heart starting to beat faster from the anxiety starting rise from within her. Trembling, she lifted her Classic Squiffer, the laser pointing at the octoling's forehead. He stopped, observing his surroundings. Just as she fired, he jumped out of the way, the blue ink brushing his shoulder.

"You!" he shouted, eyebrows furrowing. He threw a bomb at her and started to run up the ramp. In a panic, she jumped down to the grassy area below, slick with blue ink. However, the area steadily became covered in red as the octoling advanced. Hiding behind a bumper, she charged up a shot again, ready to splat him the moment he jumped out at him. Hearing footsteps from behind, she swung around and fired. But instead of splatting him, she saw Octavia stumble backwards, wiping blue ink off of her face.

"Ah!" Bonnie gasped. "I'm sorry! I thought you were the newbie!"

"It's fine," she assured her. "You just surprised me, that's all."

A figure began to loom over Octavia, yellow-green eyes glinting. Eyes wide, the beige-skinned girl exclaimed, "Watch out!"

Via lifted her brush and swung around, slapping the octoling in the face. He grunted as he rubbed his cheek, weapon pointed at the two girls.

"You want to talk?" she asked, leaning against the bumper. "Because I can do that."

"This is a battle," he reminded them. "No time to talk."

"You don't have to take it that seriously," Bonnie pointed out. "We're just having fun."

He shook his head, still stubborn. "Team Hero must win. It has to."

"You know, for a guy who doesn't want to talk, you're doing a lot of it right now," Octavia remarked.

The octoling growled and fired his Splattershot Jr., splatting Via without a second thought. Her mouth gaping, Bonnie had no time to react as he continued on ahead, splatting her as well. Seconds later, both of them respawned, having recovered from the encounter.

Bonnie looked over at her friend, her head lowered. "I let my guard down." She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I guess there's some newbies you shouldn't underestimate."

"He only splatted us because he caught us off-guard," Octavia consoled, putting a hand on her hip. "Like that's gonna stop us!"

She lifted her head, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Yeah," she agreed. "The match isn't over yet."

Octavia climbed over to the theater, while Bonnie continued on ahead, returning to the mini garden. The octoling seemed to be gone, however the entire place was covered in red ink. She threw out a point sensor, which failed to mark anyone. Just to make sure, she threw out another point sensor, and once again, nothing was marked. Assuming he had moved on, she inked the area with blue once more, and then she started to push into the garden, her hair eventually glowing. She activated Ink Armor, a mist surrounding her before sticking to her body and hardening. For now, she would be safe. The entire time it was active, she inked the main garden at the bottom of the hill, yet no one came. No longer was she protected as Ink Armor expired. Without any protection, she had to remain vigilant.

When she turned around to face the theater, she spotted the cuttlefish running down the hill, pushing her Krak-On Splat Roller along. She dashed behind a wall briefly before continuing her trek down the hill. Bonnie charged up her Classic Squiffer in the meantime, though unlike last time, the cuttlefish had noticed her, and now her sights were set on splatting her, swinging it vertically. Bonnie danced around them, trying to keep her charge. She let go of the trigger on accident during one maneuver, the shot speeding past the cuttlefish. Smiling, her hair began to glow, and she activated Baller, running up the deck and ramming into Bonnie. With a startled cry, she fell into the water, struggling briefly until her body could not handle it anymore, dissipating into blue ink.

When she respawned, instead of going straight down to the garden again, she looked over at the theater. She hadn't seen Yvonne this entire match—just where was she? Logically, she might as well be over there, struggling to keep control of it, but on the other hand, it may be simply because they failed to cross paths. She was tempted to go over to the theater and see what was going on, but at the same time, she didn't want the other team taking control of the garden. Controlling it was essential to their victory.

Bonnie swam down to the garden to find it covered in red ink. She spotted the cuttlefish again, and this time, she raised her Classic Squiffer, sticking her tongue out as she aimed it towards her. She fired, and in one hit, the cuttlefish splatted, screaming as she exploded into a puddle of blue ink. Smiling, Bonnie hid once more, waiting for any newcomers to arrive. Yet, nothing much happened. Whenever someone did arrive, she simply shot and splatted them, disabling them to spread any red ink. It was to the point where she had to stifle a yawn—this wasn't exciting at all!

But there wasn't much time left in the match anyways. Soon enough, the match ended, and she emerged from her hiding spot, climbing up the hill. The inkling boy with the Kensa Charger was panting, sweat rolling down his forehead. Opposite of the ledge he stood on was Yvonne, donning a smile as always.

"You are good!" she complimented him. "I had much of the fun!"

"You...too," the inkling boy agreed, nodding. "Haven't had...to move that much...in forever."

Perry emerged from inside the theater, carrying his Sloshing Machine from underneath his arm. "Looks close," he commented as he approached Bonnie. "You think we won?"

She examined the stage. "Maybe. Only Judd can tell."

With a laugh, he nodded. "Yeah." Lowering his voice, he whispered, "You see the newbie? He's better than I thought."

"Yeah. He seems pretty serious."

"Same vibe I got. I wonder why."

Bonnie looked over her shoulder to see the octoling approaching them. He stopped a few feet from them, looking up at Yvonne. Quickly, she had a response to his arrival.

"Hi Trace!" she greeted. "How was it?"

"It was good," he replied. "Your friends, on the other hand..."

Yvonne took no notice to his last comment. "Wow! You speak Inkling well!"

He went silent, shrugging. He pointed past Bonnie, directing her attention to behind her. Standing just in front of her were Judd and Li'l Judd, surveying the area. Though it took longer than usual, they eventually performed their signature dance, and moments later, Judd struck out a blue flag, marking Team Villain the winner.

"I can't believe it!" the cuttlefish exclaimed. Swinging her head to the source of her voice, Bonnie found her standing next to the boy with the charger. "I lost against her! Again!"

"She had someone that Octa Prisma team with her," he remarked. "They got pretty far in the Deca Tournament, remember?"

Right, Bonnie recalled. Unlike last year, both teams containing members of Octa Prisma lost in the semifinals. The winner of the Deca Tournament was a team called the Roaring Rapids, a group consisting entirely of inklings in X Rank. According to Octavia, she had met one of their members in Salmon Run a few weeks ago, though Bonnie forgot who she met exactly.

"Were you being in the Deca Tournament?" Yvonne asked. "I did not fight you."

"We lost in the second round," the inkling boy replied.

"A shame!" the cuttlefish interjected. "I still can't believe we got beat by some East Inkopolis squids!"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. Why did she care about where someone lived so much? That didn't matter in tournaments—only your skill and your team did!

"Let's get back," Perry told the group. "Please, I just wanna get out of here."

"Alright, alright," Bonnie agreed. She shifted her attention over to Yvonne. Sitting on the ledge next to her was Octavia, her brush laid across her lap. Had she been here the entire time?

Whatever the case, Perry pumped a fist. "Alright, Team Villain! Let's go!"

Everyone cheered in response, and they super-jumped back to the Deca Tower, ready for their next match.

A/N: Happy three-year anniversary to "The Rainbow Squids!" This is a pretty simple chapter - just a Splatfest battle! Hope you enjoyed seeing Fable again - she's been gone for quite a while. We also had the return of Margot and Xavier, as well as the arrival of a new octoling: Trace. You're going to be seeing a few more new octolings this season. And trust me, you'll see Trace again. Well, the next chapter will be posted on Sunday, as always. See you then, and Branchwing, out!